Arab foreign ministers concluded a preparatory meeting today in Riyadh for the emergency Arab summit scheduled for Saturday, to discuss ways to address the ongoing escalation in Palestinian territories. This ministerial meeting was the second, following an initial emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on October 10, based on a request from the State of Palestine.
Next Saturday in Saudi Arabia, leaders and heads of the 22 Arab countries will convene for an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the leader level, to consult, coordinate, and discuss ways to face the ongoing escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories. This summit represents the 16th emergency gathering of Arab leaders, following 15 previous emergency summits.
The emergency Arab summit is expected to primarily call for a ceasefire, alongside a strong political position to support the Palestinians, as confirmed by Ambassador Hossam Zaki, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, in a press statement.
The ministers approved the final draft of the resolution that will be submitted to the Arab summit for consideration. In concluding the preparatory meeting, Hossam Zaki stated that the meeting adopted the final draft of the resolution to be presented at the Arab summit on Saturday. He explained that the resolution addresses several elements of the Arab-Palestinian political position and allows the international community to understand the Arab and Palestinian stance correctly, aiming to halt the Israeli aggression.
Zaki confirmed that the summit will endorse the resolution in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Arab peoples, and he noted that there will be an Islamic summit following the Arab summit, where a decision will be made within the same Arab framework.
Regarding the level of representation at the summit, Zaki affirmed that a large number of Arab leaders will participate, and the Arab countries will be well represented.
As for the demand for a "humanitarian truce," he stated that the truce is not central to the Arab position, which calls for a complete ceasefire. The humanitarian truce is a concept discussed by some as a way to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation resulting from the war and Israeli aggression, while the Arab position is clearly and explicitly based on an immediate ceasefire, which is the core of the Arab stance.
Regarding efforts by Israel and certain parties to separate Gaza from the West Bank, and to send multinational forces to Gaza, he said that any ideas proposed by Israel or other countries to separate Gaza from the West Bank are rejected. The Arab position has thoroughly considered these ideas and will not allow them to proceed or be accepted.
